Keep Wishing
by YaoiPhox
Summary: Turkey, ruler of the Ottoman Empire, stumbles upon a most mysterious mother in the desert and brings home a baby that's much more than he would appear. Egypt faces many problems but as long as a person keeps wishing, there's always a chance to overcome them. Turgypt. Rated for some themes that will be given fair warning along the way.


A beautiful woman with dark hair and eyes lay in the desert, her own life diminishing as she tried to create another. A young sultan sat in a fanciful chariot, traveling through that very desert, going out to greet his subjects in the sandy wastelands called Egypt. The sound of wailing reached his ears and he raised a hand, motioning for the guards that accompanied him to stop. He stepped from the painted chariot, looking around for the source of the obnoxious sound. He headed away from his guards and was doing fine until he tripped over some strange pottery. He cursed and his guards came racing to help but he denied it, dusting off his glorious red robe.

"Hello? Is someone there?" He demanded, staring in the direction of the crying.

"_Aywa_…"

The sultan did not recognize the word but he stepped forward until a woman, covered in sand and wrapped in several cloths, was visible. He slowly crouched by her side after fixing his robes in a way that would keep them from getting too dirtied. The woman appeared to, at one time, have been very beautiful with tanned skin and a slender build. Her attire had once been vibrant and rich. To the men she appeared exotic but to these lands she was familiar. Now she lay with a pale face and sweaty brow. Her dark eyes were dull and her consciousness slipping. However she still had strength to reach out to him.

"_Abeni…_" She uttered, offering him a small off-white bundle. "Take Gupta." She had such a look on her face that the sultan was compelled to accept the bundle-a small babe. "To Rome..."

"What is your name?" The man asked, while looking back to one of his guards.

"His name... Gupta Muhammed Hassan." She breathed, clearly in pain.

"Berker, treat this woman. Quickly." The teenage ruler ordered, getting back to stand at his full height.

"Sir?" The guard that was addressed turned towards his companion in confusion. "What woman?"

"This babe's moth-" the sultan looked back but all that was there was an indent in the sand and an intricately crafted clay pot. "She vanished..."

"I can't believe a woman would just abandon her child in the middle of this hell." One guard grumbled, rearranging the cloth on his head. "We can dump it in the next village we come across."

"Then we would be no better than his mother." The sultan headed back to his means of transportation, shifting the cloth to get a better look at the infant's innocent face. "I am taking him with me. We have an expecting woman in the harem, do we not? She will feed him and raise him until he is old enough to serve me."

"Sir, that is rather unorthodox."

"That is my order." He snapped back. "Now let us hurry home."

The child kept his silence the entire trip back to the palace in the Ottoman Empire. The sultan headed for his harem, waiting for his mother to allow him entrance. She came to meet him at the entrance, seemingly shocked by the bundle in her son's arms. He gave her a stern look, telling her the child's tale. The valide sultan thought for a moment and then called for the Ikbal.

A moment later a beautiful and well fed Greek woman arrived. She had wavy brown hair and the sultan lit up when he saw the woman. She had been one of his Gözde, a favorite concubine in the harem. Now that she was with child she would be promoted to the Ikbal. Her path to becoming the sultan's wife and the eventual valide sultan was clear. Then she saw the male child in the ruler's arms and her smile faded a bit.

"What is this, master?"

"This is Gupta. I need you to care for him." He replied. "I found him in the desert... Abandoned." The ruler knew that was not true but to admit it aloud would earn criticism on his sanity.

"That is sad but-" There was a stern look from the valide sultan. "Will he replace the son I birth for you?"

"No, of course not. He is not mine. I will take him on as my slave the moment he is old enough." The sultan looked down at the child whom slept soundly now.

"Will you go as far as to make him an eunuch?"

"What?" The man balked and he turned to glance at the males in the harem. "I don't think that's-"

"That is this woman's condition for raising this lowly orphan, my son." The older woman placed a hand on her son's shoulder. "Without milk, he will starve."

"Fine. I will make him a eunuch but not until he has reached adulthood." Mentally the man apologized to the child in his arms. "Now take him."

"I will take good care of him, Sadik."

"Shoo, Gupta, you're in the way!" A woman pulled the little toddler from the birthing room, also known, to him, as his 'mother's room.

"In the way of what?" The questioning child asked.

"You'll see later." Another woman said just as a pained cry came from the room.

The young boy stood outside, waiting, watching the women busy themselves. He lost interest in them after a few minutes, wandering over to see some birds resting in the garden trees. He watched them preen and fluff their feathers. They were all fairly dull colors but then Gupta spotted a flash of color and a blue bird landed in front of him. His eyes lit up in interest and he made his way towards it, arms outstretched. Just as he approached it, however, it fluttered off, back to a group of dull birds in the sky.

Gupta felt saddened by the bird's abandonment and his lower lip trembled. Tears leaked from his eyes and he intook breath, sobbing. He failed to notice the approach of a male whom had been closely watching. He patted the child's head and Gupta spun around to look at the colorfully garbed sultan.

"That's a pretty birdie, huh?" He stood at the child's side, looking up, his hand shading his eyes. "It's a male... The rest are all females. Funny how the boy birdies are prettier than the girls, huh?" Sadik patted his head, ruffling his still baby-soft hair. "Do you like birds, kiddo?"

"Blue bird." He replied, raising his arms to the sky. "It is pretty. It flies."

"It's free..." Sadik added after a moment and then left, called away by a woman.

Gupta had never met the sultan before and so he thought nothing of the man's approaching him. He continued on through the garden, carefree as ever...

"Happy birthday, brother." Gupta smiled, holding a flower out to the younger boy in the harem.

"Thanks Gupta." He yawned and wiped his face with a sleeve before accepting the gift. "When is your birthday?"

"I do not know." He smiled. "But it does not matter."

"But that doesn't seem fair. You should have a birthday." The Greek insisted.

"Mama said that I should be grateful I was born at all so I am." He replied. "Life is my gift."

"Oh. Thanks for the flower. Where'd you get it? It's not from the garden."

"A bird brought it to me."

"Heracles." Their mother called out to her son, standing with the valide sultan. "It's time to meet your father."

"I'll see you later Gupta."

The sleepy child smiled and wandered over to the women, following them into a room where the sultan was waiting. When the sultan spotted his son he got up from his seat to embrace him. The Ikbal smiled fondly and settled on a cushion, watching her son carefully. Heracles was giddy as his father held up a red box, offering it to him. He opened it as soon as it was on the floor, staring in awe at the fluffy creature within. He looked back up at the man, questioning.

"It's a cat. Yer mom loves them so I thought you would too." He knelt by the box and gently lifted the brown kitten out, teaching the young child how to hold it.

"I love him. I wanna call him Laurentius." He held the kitten incorrectly, snuggling it.

"'Laurentius'?" The sultan chuckled and ruffled the wavy brown hair. "Where did ya get that name?"

"Gupta." He answered.

"Gupta, huh? How is he doing?"

"He gave me a pretty flower." He said, looking around. "Oh no... where'd it go?"

"Is it that?" The sultan pointed to the large red flower which lay forgotten on the floor.

"Thank you daddy." He held the kitten with one arm, heading over to retrieve the flower. "Hey daddy, when is Gupta's birthday?"

"Um..." The sultan frowned, rubbing his chin. "Last month, I think."

"What? Aw. I missed his birthday." The little Greek pouted.

"He doesn't have a birthday, sweetie." His mother said.

"Well I think he should. He needs a present too." He scrunched up his face, thinking hard.

"It's not his birthday yet. We'll get something for him next year." The sultan offered, patting his son's head. "I have to go back to the palace now. Behave."

"I will daddy."

"Gupta." The Ikbal's stern tone made the preteen jump, expecting a punishment. "The sultan wants a word with you. In the garden."

The young boy nodded nervously and straightened his clothes. He had been cleaning with one of the eunuchs. Unlike his brother, he had been made to do all the things lowly servants did but he did not mind it much. He liked to be kept busy and away from the women of the harem. They all seemed to hate him and Heracles. He arrived at the garden to find the sultan there, a blue bird resting on his outstretched hand. Gupta stiffened as he recognized the bird as the one that often visited him.

"Hello sir." Gupta bowed. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yeah." He grinned and handed him the bird. "Happy birthday, Gupta." He grabbed a luxurious cage settled on a bench. "He's yours."

"You caught him... For me?" He pet the bird with his finger, keeping a carefully tight grip on the bird.

"Yep. So what ingenious name have ya got?"

"Heru." He opened the cage and carefully set the bird inside. "Thank you sir. I will cherish this gift." His innocent and sincere smile spread to the sultan's own face.

"Well... I should get back to the palace before my mother kicks me out." He ruffled Gupta's hair and then left.

Gupta smiled at his new bird and gingerly carried the cage to his room near the servants' quarters. He set it on his room's windowsill and went to where he stored away some bread. He tore off a small piece and went to the cage, offering it to the bird. Heru eyed it warily for a moment before hopping over, pecking at the bread until it vanished. Gupta pet and scratched the bird's back looking sad.

"I'm sorry that you lost your freedom. But I am grateful for your company." He pulled the bird out and gave it a kiss before putting it back in. "Be wary of Laurentius." He closed the cage, putting it up higher before crawling into his bed.

"Regulus, you shouldn't be here."

Gupta had awoken from a nap late at night to hear the Ikbal's suspicious whisper. He slowly got out of bed, slinking over to his bedroom door. He looked outside to the garden where Heracles' mother stood with a strange man wearing-Gupta gasped. He was wearing the Roman general uniforms he had seen in Heracles' untouched books. The sultan had told him the Romans were bad news so he wondered why his Ikbal was meeting with one. Men were also forbidden to be in the harem without the valide sultan's permission.

"I had to see you." The man placed his hand on her cheek. "Before I go into battle. I had heard that you gave the sultan an heir."

"More or less." She held his hands in hers, sitting on a bench. "Sadik is still a child, you know." Gupta tilted his head at that name. "Children shouldn't be having children."

"So my hunch was right." The man laughed warmly. "Now. About why I'm here..." He pulled her close and pressed his lips to hers.

Gupta decided to watch no more and hurried back to his room, diving under his scratchy covers. Heru looked at him strangely but did an odd shrug before returning to his food. The next morning a eunuch called him out to the garden. He expected to see the sultan but instead found the valide sultan and Ikbal. The older of the two appeared upset by something and gave Gupta a look.

"Child, this Ikbal tells me she caught you sneaking food last night. Is this true?" She inquired once he had bowed.

"I didn't..." he replied truthfully and the younger woman glared down at him.

"Do not lie to the valide sultan, Gupta." She put on a smile. "If you tell the truth your punishment will not be as severe."

"But..." Gupta glanced at the sultan's mother and sighed, knowing she would sooner take the woman's word over his own so he begrudgingly eyed his feet and mumbled, "I'm sorry, ma'am... Heru and I were hungry."

"Mmhm. That's what I thought." The Ikbal's expression softened for the child she had more or less raised and she pat his head.

"You'll be confined to a room alone. No food. For four nights." The valide sultan instructed.

"Yes ma'am." Gupta replied clearly despite his fear of starving and being alone. "Will I start now?"

"Yes. Follow me."

Heracles was playing nearby when he saw his friend being taken away. He hurried after, asking his mother what was going on. He was shocked at what she told him and stopped outside the room he would be locked in. It was the dark, scary room that Heracles always feared. His younger sibling had said he saw a ghost in there too. As the door closed the two boys exchanged a look of worry. The valide sultan returned to her chambers, leaving Heracles and his mother to stare at the locked door with nothing but a slit to reveal Gupta hugging his knees as darkness surrounded him.

The next day Heracles sneaked into Gupta's bedroom with his cat, going over to Heru's cage. The bluebird eyed him warily, watching the strange boy's hand reach for the cage door. Heracles really wanted to help his friend and knew the bird must have been hungry and worried. He was not expecting the bird to shoot out of the cage the moment it was opened. The child gave a cry and Laurentius darted after the bird, chasing it towards the garden. Heracles followed, calling for his kitten to return to him and not eat the pretty birdy. A few of the nearby women looked on with amusement.

When the cat was finally caught he had some feathers on his mouth and Heracles felt a crushing wave of guilt. He would never be able to face Gupta now that he had let his cat eat the other's beloved bird. Head down he trudged back to his room and fell asleep. Two mornings later, the sultan was on his way to his harem when the familiar blue bird landed on his shoulder. He was fairly shocked to find it away from Gupta and grabbed it, trapping it between his fingers on his way into the harem. He found his son Heracles petting his kitten, clearly distracted by something. He made sure Heru was safe in his hands before approaching.

"Hey Heracles, where is Gupta?" He questioned.

"Why do you want to know?" His Ikbal inquired, sitting nearby, cradling another son. "He is not your son."

"I know that." The sultan frowned. "And I was talking to Heracles... c'mon, kiddo." He motioned to him to follow. "Okay now take me to Gupta." He ordered the moment they were out of earshot.

"I can't." He murmured. "He hates me."

"What? No... Gupta isn't capable of hating anyone." The sultan frowned.

"But... Laurentius ate the birdie you gave him." He whimpered then heard a chirp from his father's hands.

"No he didn't. Heru is right here. Now take me to Gupta so we can put it back."

"We have to put it back first then I'll show you where he is." Heracles gripped the colorful robe and led him to the abandoned room, opening the cage.

"This place looks so empty." The man noted, locking the bird away.

"This way." Heracles became impatient now that the bird was safe, once more dragging the man through the harem by his sleeve.

"Hey, you're not allowed back here kid." A eunuch outside Gupta's new room scolded but then caught sight of the sultan, apologizing and leaving.

"What is this place?" He frowned.

"I think mommy said it was a storage room." The child stood on tiptoes, peering into the room. "Gup. Wake up." He shouted. "Gup. Come on... daddy is here to see you."

The Egyptian lay towards the back of the room, curled up in a corner, trembling as nightmares and cold attacked him. The sultan peered over his son to look into the room, frowning at the child's condition. He opened the door and went to the occupied corner. Heracles was too afraid to enter and get in trouble, or worse, see a ghost. The hand clasping Gupta's shoulder startled the starving child, making him thrash weakly.

"Shh. Gupta, relax." He cooed, crouching in front of him. "Why are you in here?"

"I stole some food." He mumbled sleepily.

"Why would you do that?" He frowned disapprovingly.

"I guess because I was hungry." He shrugged.

"'You guess'?" He echoed. "Gupta, why are you really in here?"

"I don't know. Maybe I saw something I should not have." He replied.

"Such as?"

"Heracles's mother met with a Roman general here the night before she said she caught me stealing food." The sultan was the only person the young male trusted to tell such an accusation.

"Are you certain you weren't dreaming?" He shook his head. "Perhaps the man was just a eunuch..." Another shake of the head.

"He wore armor matching the pictures in Heracles' books... the Roman kind." He said with certainty.

"I believe you." The man sighed and got to his feet. "I will speak to her and my mother."

"No." Gupta panicked, knowing his punishment would be worse if they heard he had accused the Ikbal of having a man sneaking into the heavily guarded harem.

"Do not worry, Guppy. I'll be back to see you in a few days." He pat the boy on the head and then left.

"Mama got taken away." A small voice sounded at the foot of Gupta's bed.

"... I'm sorry to hear that, Heracles." The Egyptian sat up and shifted his covers. "I'm sure they had a good reason..."

"I hate them." The younger sniffed, crawling in next to his brother-figure. "Mama said the Turks were evil. They kill our people."

"But you are half Turkish." Gupta reasoned, putting his arm around the other.

"Mama told me a secret. A secret you can't tell anyone." The other child whispered.

"What is that secret?" He felt a weight on the bed as Heracles' cat joined them.

"That my daddy isn't the sultan." He whispered and the other boy's eyes went wide.

"You can't tell anyone else that, Heracles. Especially not the sultan. You'll be killed." He whispered back urgently.

"I won't Gup." The other responded before yawning. "I already cried tonight so I'm gonna sleep now."

"Okay. Good night, _akhi_." He murmured as the sea green eyes closed, pressing his lips to his forehead.

"Happy fifteenth birthday, Gupta." The sultan had grown a bit more since he had ordered the execution of Heracles' mother and Gupta had grown in height and size.

"Good morning, sir." Gupta bowed and then looked the man over, wondering what gift he had brought him.

"You're too old to be living in the harem now, you know." The man smiled. "Heracles has already been moved to the kafes which is probably where I could move you."

"If that's what you wish of me." He nodded.

"I also might take you on as a personal servant." He led Gupta out of the garden, waiting for the teenager to grab his bird. "Would you like that? Of course it won't be for a few more years and you'd have to work hard. But I figured it was better than letting you be a eunuch." He chuckled.

"I can work hard." He replied, clutching his bird cage. "I already know Arabic and Ottoman Turkish. How hard could Persian be?"

"Ah, you're sharp. How do you know that you'll need that?"

"I listen when people speak." He answered, following him to the kafes.

"That's a good trait to have." The sultan waved to the doorman and entered the place for his sons, nephews, and other such young men he allowed to stay. "I went ahead and gave you a room close to Heracles. I haven't seen him in awhile and I'm sure you haven't either."

"You are very generous sir."

"Not sir, please... call me Sadik when we are alone like this." He headed for an apartment, "You can stay in here."

"Thank you Sadik." Gupta smiled, entering the room and setting his cage on a low set table.

"There's one more gift for you in the corner there." He pointed to an old clay pot.

"..." The younger said nothing, going to investigate the antique gift. "It's beautiful." He murmured, hand running over the faded colors and crumbling designs. "Where did you find this?"

"I found it when I found your mother in the Egyptian desert." He admitted.

"I thought my mother had abandoned me." His eyes were wide.

"She didn't." He sighed. "I assume she died shortly after giving you to me."

"'Assume'?"

"It was the strangest thing. I turned to my men to have her treated but when I turned back to her she was gone as though she had never existed." He explained. "I believe that pot was hers. It's not much in appearance but it has sentimental value."

"Thank you," Gupta embraced the sultan without thinking, "very much, Sadik."

"No problem kid." He smiled, ruffling his short hair before easing him away. "I have to leave now. Heracles lives across from you."

Once the sultan had left, Gupta took a good look around his new home before being drawn back to the pottery in the corner. He got down on his knees and started to caress it, fingers following the carvings and cracks. He frowned as chips fell off and sighed, removing the pottery's lid before looking inside. He jumped in shock when a woman stared up at him from a reflection in some water. The reflection smiled and a hand reached out to him, resting on his cheek. Before he could pull away he felt a strong tug dragging him in. He found himself standing on water, surrounded by a thick white mist.

An elegant woman appeared with olive skin, long black hair, and shining dark eyes, her movement graceful. She was slim and wearing a black and red outfit resembling that of a dancer that would occasionally perform in the harem and wore bands of gold around her neck. Gupta felt his breathing stutter, a sense of familiarity overcoming him. The woman's eyes were kind and she embraced him, kissing his forehead. He knew this woman to be his mother.

"_Am..._" He returned the hug once he recovered from his shock. "The sultan just told me you had died."

"Because I have, _abeni._" She smiled sadly as they parted. "However I was not human. I was a jinni." He recalled the stories told to him about jinn and the jinn mentioned in the Qur'an; the magical smokey creatures that could grant a person nearly anything.

"I feel that this is a dream. Yet my gut tells me something else." He looked his mother up and down. "You appear human."

"Yes. I fell in love with a human and made myself one in order to be with him. However I am still considered a jinni and you have that blood in your veins." She informed him softly.

"I am... a jinni?" His eyes widened.

"Only slightly. Your magic is handicapped though. You may only grant the wishes of others and only three per person. You don't have the skill or power to grant more. I am afraid this is a punishment as well since you are required to grant any wish they ask for. Though death, revival of the dead, and the messing with or forcing of emotions is prohibited." She explained. "Now that you have rubbed our family's item, your power has been unlocked. Please, use it wisely."

"_Am..._ I do not wish for you to leave me again." He uttered as she began to fade into the mist.

"I shall be watching you, _abeni._" Her voice echoed and Gupta began to black out.

* * *

**_AN:_**_ I have this almost completely planned out, unlike most fics I start out, as far as plot goes. I know what I want to happen I'm just not able to match the writing style I started with most of the time since I started writing this about a year ago. I am trying my best though... I actually had considered making it a doujin but I don't have the time for it thanks to college... (I actually have lots of huge art projects to finish before Friday...) Anyways, hope you look forward to reading more and I hope you review cause it should (hopefully) motivate me to continue..._


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